1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to apparatus and methods for surgical procedures. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a surgical stapler and an articulation mechanism for use therewith.
2. Description of Related Art
Surgical instruments for fastening tissue are well known. Some surgical fastening devices first clamp tissue between opposing jaw structures and then join them with surgical fasteners. Several kinds of surgical instruments are specifically adapted for use in various procedures such as end-to-end anastomosis, endoscopic gastrointestinal anastomosis, transverse anastomosis, among others. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,915,616; 6,202,914; 5,865,361; and 5,964,394 describe examples of surgical fastening instruments. Although these surgical fastening instruments typically employ surgical staples, other kinds of fasteners, such as two-part polymeric fasteners, may be used.
Surgical fastening instruments typically include two opposing jaw structures adapted to capture tissue. One jaw structure usually contains a staple cartridge housing a plurality of staples. The staples may be arranged in a single row or a plurality of rows. The other jaw structure has an anvil that defines a surface for forming the staple legs as the staples are driven from the staple cartridge. The surgical fastening instruments also include one or more cam members configured to effect the stapling operation. During use, the cam members act upon staple pushers and eject the staples either sequentially or simultaneously from the staple cartridge. The staple cartridge may include a knife adapted to cut or open the stapled tissue between the rows of staples. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,079,606 and 3,490,675 disclose examples of this kind of instrument.
Certain surgical fastening instruments include articulating mechanisms to articulate a tool assembly or an end effector. An articulation mechanism may have an articulation actuator, a plurality of pulleys, and a plurality of articulation cables. The articulation actuator is operatively coupled to the articulation cables, and a portion of each articulation cable is disposed in a corresponding pulley. In operation, the articulation cables move longitudinally in proximal and distal directions upon actuation of the articulation actuator. As the articulation cables move longitudinally, the pulleys rotate and movement of the articulation cables causes articulation of the end effector. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 2007/0108252, which is assigned to U.S. Surgical, a division of Tyco Healthcare Group LP and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, describes an example of this kind of articulation mechanism.